Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Head of Nonprofit To Head DC Schools

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has fired D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey and wants to replace him with the founder of a New York-based teacher-training organization, a dramatic step that signals the mayor's desire to bring "radical change" to the failing 55,000-student system.

On the day he assumed control of the schools, Fenty (D) announced at a morning news conference that he has tapped Michelle A. Rhee for the new job of schools chancellor.

Well, no one can accuse Fenty of making small gestures.

What is interesting is that Fenty's choice does point to where he intends to put his focus--on the teaching corps. Rhee is the first non-black leader in almost 40 years and the first person since Gen. Julius Becton in the mid 1990's to come to the job without any superintendant experience. Fenty explained his reasoning thusly:

Fenty said he was seeking someone who had not already been a superintendent with a long history inside a district. Too many "career superintendents" move from job to job, staying only a few years at each stop, Fenty said.

"I wanted a real difference-maker, someone who would stay with the mayor the entire time the mayor is there, instead of moving constantly," he said.

With the appointment of a new Chancellor and a radical change in DC school governance, there is always great hope. The problem is that bureaucracies become calcified and interested in their own goals and agendas. Fenty and Rhee have a huge task ahead of them and they will no doubt be in the news a lot.

About Me

A husband, a father, a lawyer, a HUGE soccer fan and a guy who is pursuing happiness and sometimes catch it. I care about politics, but not so much that I would consider running for office, I care about education because I don't think we are doing a very good job on behalf of our kids. What else? When in doubt, you can find me playing or watching soccer, listening to music or reading.